Temple of the Green Emperor

Temple of the Green Emperor

The Temple of the Green Emperor is located southwest of Jade Emperor Summit on Mount Tai, bordered by the Shrine of Divine Rest to the west and connected to the path leading up to Jade Emperor Summit to the east. It is the upper temple dedicated to the Green Emperor Guangsheng Dijun. Its founding date is unknown; it was rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties but destroyed before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The Green Emperor refers to Taihao Fuxi, one of the ancient mythological figures, revered as a deity in Taoism. Legend has it that the Green Emperor governs the birth of all things, belongs to the east, and is therefore worshipped on Mount Tai.

There is a Temple of the Green Emperor at the summit of Mount Tai, and there is a Temple of the Green Emperor at its foothills. In the 15th year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (595 AD), Emperor Wen of Sui held a worship ceremony at the Temple of the Green Emperor during his eastern inspection tour. In the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty (1008 AD), Emperor Zhenzong of Song, when ascending Mount Tai, granted the Green Emperor the title of Guangsheng Dijun (Dijun of Universal Life) and had a stele inscribed praising the Green Emperor as “lofty as Mount Tai, founding this eastern land, the birthplace of life, the abode of spirits and immortals.”

This temple faces south and is a two-courtyard structure with a square floor plan, consisting of a temple gate, the main hall, and side halls to the east and west. The temple gate is a single room with a stone arched entrance, featuring flat stone slabs used instead of beams and rafters, forming a flush gable roof. It measures 3.55 meters in width, 1.9 meters in depth, and 2.37 meters in total height. The archway is 1.55 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. Both the door frame and threshold are carved from stone slabs, and a chessboard-style gate is installed.

The main hall has three rooms, featuring a three-pillar, five-rafter, six-beam front porch structure with double beams and a flush gable and hard mountain roof. It measures 11.25 meters in width, 7.5 meters in depth, and 7.6 meters in total height. The central bay is 3.4 meters wide, and the side bays are 3.1 meters wide. The spaces between the pillars are adorned with openwork reverse lintels and lattice-patterned floral spandrels.

The east and west side halls each have three rooms, also featuring a three-pillar, five-rafter, six-beam front porch structure with double beams and a flush gable and hard mountain roof. They measure 10.3 meters in width, 7 meters in depth, and 7.2 meters in total height, with both the central and side bays being 3.1 meters wide.

Jade Emperor Summit is the highest point of Mount Tai’s main peak, named after the Jade Emperor Temple located at the summit. Formerly called Taiping Summit, also known as Tianzhu Peak, its founding date is unknown, but it was rebuilt during the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty. The plaque above the shrine is inscribed with “Legacy of Fire and Worship,” indicating that ancient emperors once offered burnt sacrifices to heaven and worshipped mountain and river deities here. In front of the hall lies the “Summit Stone,” marking the highest point of Mount Tai.

Northwest of the Summit Stone stands a stele inscribed with “Ancient Feng and Feng Altar,” indicating that this was the site where emperors throughout history held Feng and Shan ceremonies to worship heaven on Mount Tai. The eastern pavilion offers a view of the “Rising Sun,” while the western pavilion provides a view of the “Yellow River’s Jade Belt.”